Thuldas grins as he stuffs some table scraps into his pocket and hoists his sack of mechanical odds and ends over his shoulder.
"Finally, some legwork! Was tired o' thinkin'."
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"Anton! Ol' buddy ol' pal! Iffn' I 'member right, you owe me a drink!" Heck yes, double mechanics! For a technomancer, Thuldas actually isn't that technologically adept - he prefers to instead find ways to apply ancient dwarven magics to circumvent the limits of technology. I think these will be some great additions to the party.
"Oh, I kin open up jus' about anythin'!" Thuldas jingles a greasy bag of tools with a cocky grin. "But I s'pose we should find a body t' ask first, t' keep it on th' up'n'up." Reviewing his comm message, the dwarf's grin widens. "I ain't never gonna say no t' that! But we should blow past th' ol' Bay 18 and get a quick lay'o'th'land b'fore supper."
"Right!" Thuldas rubs his hands together, causing his oversized bag of bits and bobs to jingle and clank. "'Ow do we get in there? I'm up fer a bit of urban explorin'!"
I agree with Yoro and Tremox that I'm still interested in playing w/ Thuldas in this game. One of the struggles, I think, is that not much has happened so far (I haven't yet been forced to finish my character sheet). If we can get a couple more players that are properly engaged, we should have enough momentum to keep it rolling. I would agree that having players who are engaged is far more important that broadening the party's capabilities.
"There is no docking bay 18, at least not anymore." "Ooh!" Thuldas raises an eyebrow. "Th' plot thickens! What 'appened t' Bay 18, Nibsicle?"
Moxie nods. "Right, construction permits. That might help narrow things down at least." He begins searching through government records, navigating the arcane legal paperwork. "I ain't got bumpkis. Soshi, what're yer keywords? I'll see what else I can find."
”You would know this Thuldas, are the areas where ships are abandoned filled in a sequential manner? As in section 32 for x-amount of years, section 33 for y-amount of years, section 34 for z-amount of years. We know the time frame when it was left...might that lead us to an area?” Thuldas snorts. "Wouldn't that be all sunshine'n'daisies. Naw, orphan ships crop up here an' there ' e'reywhere." "Thuldas, can you see if McLaren may have any family still on Absolom? Maybe they could tell us something." "Ey, that's an idea! I'll make a coupla calls, see if anyone's seen McLaren or his ol' wings."
Using Nib's data as a starting point, Thuldas searches for postings on sites for secondhand starship parts, hoping to find something that could have come from the Mirage.
Thuldas is carrying the same sack he was the previous day, but the collect of mechanical bits and bobs seems to be completely different. Coupled with the heavy port-cover slung across his back, the dwarf seems to be more akin to a walking junkyard than an investigator of any sort. He breathes the canned air deeply. "Ah, we got atmo-scrubber, coolant vapor, an' ol' lubricant. What a great mornin' t' be alive!" His enthusiasm seems to be... genuine?
"Hmm." Thuldas scratches his chin with a meaty hand, temporarily lost in thought.
"I work inna scrapyard - Crawdun Scrap'n'Salvage. Junked a lotta starships. 'Upgraded drift engine', ya say? We typic'ly don't mess wi' drifts; the 'bot priests get antsy. You got any other definin' features?"
After he introduces himself to each of you, he suggests buying you drinks and a bit to eat. "After all, it's the least I can do. This necklace was not cheap. The wife would have killed me if it were lost" "I ain't gonna turn down a spot o' vittlin'," Thuldas says with a guffaw, "But I should advise ya to only promise one round o' drinks. This group can tap a well."
Thuldas groans as S1G-NL hums off after the petty thief. "Can't a guy finish 'is drink? Is this what we're doin'?" Carrying a mug in one hand and a large, circular porthole cover in the other, the dwarf trudges towards the south side of the rails. "I'll see what all the hoot'n'holler is about. Y'all play bounty hunter."
Thuldas lets out a rumbling belch. "So kids're hot-roddin' in th' streets 'stead o' th' tracks. Anyone ask 'em why?" The dwarf idly fidgets with a cracked elasto-dampener - the culprit of an overheating engine that had taken most of the day to track down.
The dwarf whistles idly while waiting for the beverages to arrive - an unusually brassy sound, owing to a number of palladium dental replacements. His coveralls, nominally a florescent green, are dingy with accumulated grease and rust. His skin is coated with a film of sweat and mechanical filth, broken only by the creases of his joints and the smile lines on his face. His hair, a ruddy orange, is shaved close to the sides of his skull while loose on top; runic tattoos line his scalp and the knuckles of his right hand. A collection of bulky toolkits adorn his belt, and a well-worn nylon bag full of mechanical bits and bobs slumps in a heap next to his feet. Seeing the three latecomers, he hollers, "y'all took yer sweet time about it! Didya sneak inna round without us?"
Checking in! It will be a few days before I get Thuldas's character sheet together, but I'm here.
Uh, what is happening? We done? Your guess is as good as mine. It seems our GM has gone missing (he's playing a PC in another game of mine, and hasn't posted there either). I hope he's alright.
Thuldas does his best to keep the targeting computer locked on the powerplant driving the drone platform.
"Right! The platform is unarmed. Let's shut it down, then we can take care o' these wasps!" Thuldas attempts to sync the Wanderer's targeting system with the signature of the drone platform's power core.
"Computer! Initiate a 'igher-fidelity scan on that drone platform!"
Thuldas readjusts the ship's scanners, trying to learn as much about the drone base as possible.
"Captain, I've scanned th' drone! It's quite lightly armed and could only chew through our shields if there was a bunch o' 'em. I'll get th' downlow on that platform as soon as possible!"
Twisting dials and turning knobs, Thuldas focuses the Wanderer's sensors on the drone fighter, seeking whatever information he can glean from the ship's construction.
"Do y' think that platform will spit out more drones at us? That might be worth a scan as well, but I fig're th' drone might be in more o' a shooty-shooty mood."
"I cannot understand the language, but the message definitely sounds like a warning." "I would agree wi' that! We're steppin' on some toes 'ere, that's for sure!" Thuldas reaches into his pocket, drawing out a small gem with a myriad of internal refractions. Hesitating for a moment, he snorts a quick laugh and mutters "No sense in dyin' with a pocketful o' serums" before activating the stone, which rapidly draws a ring of arcane signs about his face and head before fading away.
"'Unknown vessel: turn back or be destroyed.' Right. That was illuminating." Thuldas sighs heavily and chucks the depleted stone back into his pocket.
"Let's blast this tin can into mulch - maybe that'll get the attention of a livin' person!"
Thuldas wanders into the meeting only a hair before he'd be considered late. Slumping down into a chair in a clatter of iridescent armor plating with a sigh, he listens patiently as the VC outlines the mission. Quickly thinking of a question pertinent enough to sound clever, he opens his mouth - only to come second to Stell, who asks his question as well as a few more. With a rueful smile, Thuldas settles in and watches.
"Sounds like th' kind of job I joined th' Society for. Lookin' forward to it!"
Whoo-hoo! Level-up time! Very exciting. Big things for Thuldas include his first magic hack (fabricate tech) and a couple new spells, fabricate scrap and junksword. Junksword will come into its own at third level (when its 1-1/2 weapons specialization kicks in), but fabricate scrap will mean Thuldas is only a full-round action from conjuring up a fire extinguisher (or any other tech item of 3rd level or lower).
Thuldas spends some time with his crew, but he also wanders through some of the quieter drinking establishments in the Arms, buying drinks for strangers in exchange for a story or two.
Unfortunately, Thuldas's uncouth ways cause many to assume he's a scammer - or worse - and he almost universally receives the cold shoulder.
I've been keeping track of party funds on my character sheet, but I don't believe I've shared this with the party yet.
Thuldas watches the Lawblight tumble end over end as his sensors indicate that the starship's core systems are rapidly degenerating. "This fight is over, Cap'n", he says, turning to Stell, "but there's still pirates aboard that tub. Well, lightly-irradiated pirates. What shall we do with 'em?"
Thuldas sweeps the Lawblight with the Wanderer's sensor package in an attempt to determine what, exactly, the condition of the enemy ship is.
"Nice hit! Let's keep 'em coming!" Thuldas switches from engineering to the science officer's station, focusing the Wanderer's targeting system on the Lawblight's power core.
Thuldas continues preheating the missile tubes, trying to maximize their damage potential.
Switching to the engineer's console, Thuldas primes the torpedo engines, giving them a little bit of an extra kick.
"Those guns are nasty! Hit 'em in the teeth first-off."
DEFENSE
OFFENSE
STATISTICS
CREW
Nervously humming a tune, Thuldas tries to scan the asteroid field, looking for a safe path to a higher orbit.
By luck or skill, Thuldas is able to spot a gap in the rocks. "There! A gap! In the rocks!"
Thuldas's breath catches as he recognizes the symbol of the Storyteller. Caught between an urge to serve and a feeling of inadequacy, he stands there, staring at the gem in his hand, for a minute. Finally, he stirs. "I... I think I have a duty to the people here. This'll just take a minute." Scouring the inside of the wrecked ship, Thuldas will look for something he can write with - a marker, paint, chalk, etc. Clearing a section of bulkhead that's at least somewhat sheltered, the dwarf will methodically transcribe the story of the Unbounded Wayfarer as a series of pictographs to the best of his knowledge, starting with its departure from Absalom and ending with the Calico's recovery mission. He ends his writings with the symbol of Talavet, the symbol of the Starfinder Society, and the name of the Calico Wanderer and the date in Common. "Anyone who comes here deserves to know the story of these brave Starfinders, I think." After surveying his work for a moment, Thuldas picks up his gear and prepares to hike back to the ship.
Thuldas, not wanting to make an action he may regret, does nothing, spell gem still in hand.
Thuldas watches patiently as Dawn tries to communicate with the scrapper. Trying to look non-threatening, he fishes a spell gem of comprehend languages out of his pocket, just in case.
Thuldas adjusts the comm unit built into his armor, setting it to broadcast on all frequencies. "Hullo? Anyone out there? This is th' Calico Wanderer of th' Starfinder Society. We are here t' recover the crew of th' Unbounded Wayfarer. If you can hear me, please respond."
"By the gods, that's a nasty wreck," Thuldas mutters as they approach.
"Dawn's right. Someone really did a number on this."
"Hey, look 'ere." Thuldas pulls the crew's attention to a particular section of hull. "See these 'oles?" With a stubby finger, the dwarf traces cleanly cut triangles, neat and amount four inches in length. "This ain't no slug impact, and unless that Skreebara's got a plasma torch around 'ere somewhere, someone else has been scrappin' this ship." Thuldas steps away from the ship for a moment, trying to judge where natural shelter might be nearby. "If we are very lucky, this might be a rescue mission."
Thuldas accepts Dawn's healing touch with gratitude. Standing up, he stretches his legs and looks towards the wreckage of the Unbounded Wayfarer. "Shall we?"
"Ugh, is it dead? It looks dead. That's swell. I'm just... gonna take... a minute..." Thuldas plops down on the sand, breathing heavily.
"Ya slippery disaster! I'll show you not t' walk away from me!" The electric hum in the air dissipates as Thuldas drops his spell. Instead, he carefully steps back and presses a series of holographic toggles on his handheld computer, summoning a blast of hyper-focused desert heat at the creature.
Stubborn as a, well, dwarf, Thuldas lunges forward, trying to finally get off his spell.
I'm just gonna say we ditch the coilgun for the dual missile launchers and the two expansion bays (arcane laboratory and tech workshop), because I don't think many crew members have a terribly strong opinion.
Two weeks later, and the forums are finally back! Ready to rock and roll.
Thuldas grunts in pain as the Skreebara tears into him, but lunges again, trying to deliver his arcane shock.
Finally gaining his bearings, Thuldas draws his hammer, but doesn't swing it. Instead, he makes a series of small hand motions, and the air begins to crackle with electricity. With a thrust, he attempts to reach out and touch the creature.
Wint! There's some sort of mounted gun over there! See if you can get to it, you speedy little skitter!"
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